John gardner



(No Model.)

J. GARDNER.

MACHINE FOR COUNTING GUN WADS.

No. 320,236. Patented June 16, 1885.

N. PETERS. Phulwumu n hu. wamln tun. D C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICEO JOHN GARDNER, NENV HAVEN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO THE \VIN- CHESTER REPEATING ARMS COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

MACHINE FOR COUNTING GUN-WADS.

SPECIFICATION tanning part of Letters Patent No, 320.236, dated June 16. 1885.

Application filed March 30, 1885. (No model.)

To (LU whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GARDNER, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in llachines for Counting Gun-\Vads; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with accompanying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. and which said drawings constitutepart of this specification, and represent, in

Figure 1, a top view; Fig. 2, aside view; Fig. 3, a transverse section through one of the grooves.

This invention relates to an apparatus for counting gun-wads. Gnu-wads are put up for market in packages containing a certain num her, say, two hundred and fifty each. Accuracy of count is desirable. These wads have their edges saturated with grease, and as some wads necessarily take up more grease than others, owing to the variations in the texture of the material from which they are made, weight cannot be relied upon toiudicate a given number. To economically count the wads some mechanism is necessary.

The object of my invention is the construction of a machine whereby the wads may he so counted with the utmost accuracy; and it consists in a carriage arranged for rapid vibratory movement, and adapted to carry one or more receiving-plates, the said receiving plates constructed with transverse parallel grooves, said grooves in width little more than the thickness of the wads,and the length of the grooves adapted to receive a certain number of wads, the said receiving-plates removable from the carriage, and so that the receivingplatc,wheu placed upon the said carriage and under rapid reciprocation, the mass of wads placed thereon will be agitated and work into the grooves until the whole series of grooves will be full. Then the surplus removed from the plate leaves in the plate only a certain predetermined number, and so that the said predetermined number may be readily dis charged from the plate into the package designed to receive them, and as more fully hereinafter described.

A B are two parallel bars, which form ways upon which the carriage is to move. These bars are firmly supported at each end in a frame, C. The carriage D is constructed with ears E, projecting to each side and so as to embrace the bars A B and support the carriage thereon, but so that the carriage may move longitudinally on said bars. Rapid reciprocating movement is imparted to the carriage by means of a crank, F, on a shaft, G,

through a connecting-rod, H, power being ap- 6o plied to said shaft through a pulley, I, or otherwise. On the carriage two or more transverse ribs, L, are arranged, distant from each other according to the plates to be set thereon. their upper surface a series of parallel ribs, a a, forming corresponding series of narrow grooves 1) between them, as seen in Figs. 1 and 2. The width of these grooves is slightly more than the thickness of a single wad, but

less than the thickness of two wads, and the depth should be about the diameter of a single wad. The length of the groove is equal to the combined diameter of a certain number of wads-say, ten wadsand the numberof 7 5 grooves-say,twenty-fivewill give a capacity of two hundred and fifty wads to each plate.

The upper edge of the ribs is contracted or I chamfered to reduce their thickness at the edge and open the entrance to the grooves, to

facilitate the introduction of the wads to the grooves, as seen in Fi 2. The plates are set upon the carriage between the ribs L L, as seen in Fig. 2, and so that the plates will partake of the reciprocating movement of the 8 carriage, the ribs L L preventing their displacement under such movement. The carriage is arranged over a receptacle into which the surplus wads fall. The operator dumps the mass of wads upon the plate while it is go carriage may be of a length to receive several [00 The removable plates M have upon 65 Then the operator removes 5 such plates, (here represented as two,) so that when one is removed for dumping a second may be placed on the carriage and thus maintain continuous work. The plates may be employed without the machine that is to say, the operator may cover the plate with a mass of wads, then shake it; by hand until the grooves are full. I therefore do not wish to be understood as limiting the use of the plates to the machine.

I claini V I 1. The combination of a reciprocating earriage, D, with the removable plates M, the said plates constructed with a series of transverse grooves, corresponding in width to the thickness of single wads and in length to the -combi ned diameter of agiven number 01 wads, and the said carriage adapted to receive said plates, and constructed with stops to support; said plates against longitudinal movementindependent of the carriage, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the rerrziprocating earriage D, with one or more removable plates, M, said plates constructed with a series of transverse ribs, (4 a, forming a corresponding series of transverse grooves, b, thesaid grooves.

corresponding in width to the thickness of single wads and in length to a given number of wads, the said ribs at their upper edge contracted in thickness to open the entrance to the grooves, the said carriage provided with stops adapted to receive the said plates and prevent longitudinal movement independent of the carriage, substantially as described.

3. The herein-described plate for counting wads, constructed with a series of transverse ribs, (1 a, forming a corresponding series of transverse glooves, b, the said grooves corresponding in width to the thickness of single wads and in length to a given number of wads, the said ribs at their upper edge contracted in thickness to open the entrance to the grooves, substantially as and for the purpose described.

JOHN GARDNER.

\Vi tn esses DANIEL H. VEADER, LEE H. DANIELS. 

